Bushman: "Belgium accepts spiritual and conscious vibrations!"

Bushman, how was the concert?
Bushman: "Yeah man, it was nice. Yeah, we start off with a bit of humming on the stage and so and it wasn't that quite balanced, yunno. 'Cause right now I'm trodding with only 1 engineer, which is the house engineer. So I depend on the engineer that comes with the system to get me balanced. So, for the first like 4 songs it wasn't quite properly balanced, but after a while we get the show on the road and it certainly worked."

The second part of the concert was better than the first part. 
Bushman: "Yeah because, yunno', after getting comfortable and you start perspiration, and getting the fire lighted, yunno. Is much nicer yunno. Yeah man. See and I always work do my best and only the best is good enough. And with the help a di almighty, yunno, successful. Bless."

That's the right spirit. How was the spirit at the concert here with the audience?
Bushman: "Yeah well Belgium is always a place that accepts conscious music and spiritual vibrations. So I know that after getting the show on the road, the vibes a di people is one. Because you have to feel the people to do your thing, yunno. If you, if the people ain't feeling you, then you won't feel them either. So you got to make them feel you for you to feel them. And I really worked at that and it worked. Bless."

Yes it did work. How was the concert at the VK in Brussels the last time, was it as good as it was now?
Bushman: "Oh wow yes man. That concert was, well there were people like crazy, man. The concert was nice yunno. Well this one I think it was a bit smaller, compact, but yunno."

Do you find there's a big difference between a concert at a festival and a concert for an audience like the VK?
Bushman: "Yeah because, well you see festivals always care a wide variety of things, yunno mi a seh. For instance you have people that just go to buy merchandise, you have people that just go listen 1 special artist, you have people that just go to listen everyone like they're on a search. Yunno what I'm saying. Yunno, and they always find good things. One festival that I went that I find that these people more tempt to listen to the commercial artists that are in Europe."

The Bob Marley generation?
Bushman: "Yeah, for like a Gentlemen. There was a couple of more artists that, Germany based, that also have songs on MTV and so on. And then, when I was on stage, Gentlemen was on another stage, the same time as me. So this crowd was being split, in two. So some went to listen Germans Gentlemen and some stayed to listen Bushman. Yunno what I'm saying! I think it was a bit a conflict still, because it's two good artists. So why did you have both of them performing one after the other? But yunno mi a seh. It's a bit a politics and what so ever, but we work it out, yunno. But otherwise, like for instance Cologne last year was smashing. And the French festival this year was also great. And then the festival in Holland is that Sundride (Sundance) that festival is irie."

We call Holland ganja-land.
Bushman: "Yeah man, ganja-land man! But only 1 thing I find that Morgan!s Heritage never played the day they should, so they had to play on the day that I played! So my set was being pushed up earlier and Morgan Heritage after me. I was supposed to work (at) 4 o'clock, but then Sly & Robbie got that slam (?). But, ehmm... what I'm saying that if I'm supposed to work (at) 4,  why don't you make me work 4? Because I'm not the person who make that man misses his time, but then we all haffi mek it work, yunno mi a seh? Because we all are 1, yunno... And if we unite and cooperate, then everything will go down and everybody will have a smile. And that's what I want the world to do!"

That's the message you want to send to the people?
Bushman: "Yeah, for everyone to have love in their heart. And when there's love in your heart, than you can smile! And when you smile, your muscles in your face, they have a rest yuh see? Yeah, trust me. Because it only takes a few muscles to smile, but it takes so many muscles to get vex, yunno what I'm saying. And so much expression to get vex, yunno what I'm saying... People should smile man!"

What you see a lot of people going to shops yunno, dem have dem car full with all the things dem like yunno, and still dem have sad faces yunno.
Bushman: "Seen, sad faces. Yunno, so you know riches and wealth doesn't really makes life all! Because you can be rich and in the worst state of mind. You can be rich and when you die you can't take anything to your grave with you. So it's to live and love! And as I say love in any language comes straight from the heart. Yeah man. Yeah man, true."

Can you tell me which vocalists/singers had a certain influence on you?
Bushman: "Yeah man. Well vocals, let"s say Luciano first. Then you have Jack Radics, great singer also. You have Mikey Spice, yunno mi a seh, great singer also. Then you have, we can go in a di old school. Al Campbell, which is a great singer also. Dennis Brown, I'm talking about the baritone, yunno mi a seh!That baritone voice, yunno. Dennis Brown yeah! And then, when you reach roots rock reggae, one drop, then you can start talking about a Bob Marley, a Peter Tosh, yunno what I'm saying! Israel Vibration, Mystic Revealers, Sly & Robbie, with Black Uhuru. Then you can start talk about a Eek-A-Mouse, yunno mi a seh. Then you can start talk about Steel Pulse. When you going across to like a Third World, a Maxi Priest. Yunno what I'm saying, these are great singers of my time, when I was growing up, which I try feed on their vibes... yunno mi a seh. And I think when you reach the level like a Third World or a Maxi Priest, which can cross over to a kind a funky reggae ting or a Bob Marley that can give you a funky reggae yunno what I'm saying. That's when you got the real vibes on the people, because that's what I'm searching for right now... a funky reggae groove. That's why I'm trying my best to play the guitar and try to play it as best as possible, yunno mi a seh. It could be better tonight, because I'm used to like a acoustic. And the guitar that I was using tonight was like an electric guitar, yunno, it more sweeter with an acoustic, yeah a mi a tell yuh man, so. It's about doing the work yunno. And it's like a ladder, one step to another, you see. But one thing you got to know: the higher the monkey climbs, the more he is being exposed. Yunno what I'm saying. So when you start going they watch you. Every thing you do, you see what I'm saying. So then, I learned this from his Majesty. To be a leader, you've got to suffer the consequences of self-discipline, seen. So the higher you climb, you have to have much more self-discipline, yunno. And that's one of the thing that take's you thru."